


Don't even know each other anymore

by gyroscrocs



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-18 13:40:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16996056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gyroscrocs/pseuds/gyroscrocs
Summary: Keith and Shiro have a long overdue talk.





	Don't even know each other anymore

**Author's Note:**

> season 8 didn't happen

"Shiro, what happened to us?"

The question was out of nowhere, really. Don't blame Shiro for jumping at it.

"What do you mean?"

Shiro doesn't really know why, but right now, his heart is racing.

"Shiro, you know what I mean."

Shiro can see Keith staring at him out of the corner of his eye, but can't bring himself to look at anywhere but the wall.

He remains silent.

Keith takes a deep breath, and then he sighs, and begins to speak again.

"We- I-"

Keith took another breath.

"I look back. I look back, and I see how close we were. I see how close I let you get to me. Shiro, you were one of the few people I opened up to. I was always so vulnerable around you. And, I always thought you felt the same way. I always thought you were just as open and trusting to me, as I was to you. But, now,"

Keith's voice trembles, but he keeps his eyes on Shiro.

Shiro feels his throat getting tight.

"It's like we don't even know each other anymore."

-

Keith doesn't know where the courage to say all of that came from. He hadn't planned on spewing out nearly every single thing he had been holding back ever since they fought that huge, altean-powered robot.

But sooner or later, he needed to say something. Shiro's seperation had been absolutely tearing Keith apart, and he needed to do something about it.

He was scared.

"Shiro I've- I've always thought we carried this unbreakable bond. I thought, no matter what, through thick and thin, it would always be you and me. But now, it just feels like me."

Keith tears his eyes away from Shiro, only for a moment. The sadness and the longing sinks into Keith, and then the anger comes.

"Are you going to say anything?"

Keith looks back up at Shiro.

"Shiro."

Keith's eyebrows furrow.

"Shiro."

"I," Shiro starts, but doesn't finish.

"Look at me."

Shiro closes his eyes, tight.

"Keith..."

"Shiro. Look at me. Look at me while you talk to me."

And so Shiro opens his eyes, and he looks at Keith.

And he begins to cry.

"I don't know. Keith, I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't know why I keep pushing you away, and I don't know why I'm not doing anything to stop it. To stop myself."

'I am a filthy liar,' Shiro thinks to himself. 'I know exactly why I'm pushing you away.'

Keith nearly blushes when he hears Shiro refer to them as a relationship.

"Keith, I'm an idiot. I'm a huge, huge idiot. And I don't know how you've put up with me all these years- with me constantly letting you down. With abandoning you on Earth, with me nearly dying so many times. Keith, you are always there for me. But I'm never there for you, and I am so," Shiro sniffles, "so sorry."

"Shiro-"

"I love you. I love you so much, but I've put you through so much pain."

Keith's brain can only barely comprehend the words he is hearing right now.

"I've done too much to put you in harm's way. Keith, I've- I nearly killed you."

-

Shiro hates getting emotional. Well, not really emotional, but he hates crying. He's gone through too much to cry over-

"Keith."

The words are leaving his mouth faster than he can think. Shiro keeps talking, because he doesn't know if he wants to hear Keith respond to him.

"Keith, I love you too much to keep you close to me. You mean everything to me, you do. I swear on my own life you do. And, I know everyone is safe now. I know we're all gonna be okay, but anything could happen. Anything could happen to me, or, God forbid, anything could happen to you, and then what would happen? Keith, I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have."

"Shiro..."

"I'm sorry."

"Shut up."

Shiro is stunned, honestly. Keith's voice had turned so serious all of a sudden.

"Shiro, you haven't hurt me. You've never, ever hurt me. And, even if you have, it's behind us. Shiro, I've forgiven you for everything, because you are the most important person in my life, and because,"

These words are still very hard for Keith to say, no matter how true they are.

"Because I love you. Because no matter what, no matter what you've done to me, or what you might do to me, I will always love you. Always."

Shiro feels as though an enormous weight was lifted off his shoulders. His stomach untwists itself, his eyes open up wide, he has stopped shaking, and his heart feels so full.

"I've gotten hurt because that's how far I have gone for you, Shiro. And I chose to go that far because you deserve that, and because I love you."

"Keith."

-

Shiro has that soft look in his eyes. The one that Keith remembers from when they were all in space, the one that only Keith would ever see.

Keith will see that look millions of times, and every time, his heart will flutter.

Shiro's hand, his human hand, is slowly being raised, Keith doesn't need to guess what Shiro is going to do.

Everytime Keith and Shiro would ever have a talk like this, well, they've never really had a talk like this, Shiro would grab onto Keith's shoulder. It comforted the both of them, Keith would think. That shoulder-grab is what Keith expects Shiro to do.

But Shiro doesn't do what Keith expects him to do.

Next thing Keith knows, Shiro's hand is on his face. Cradling it.

And then Keith grabs Shiro's hand, and he leans into it. And he cries tears of absolute joy.

He's giggling, he knows he sounds like a little girl but he doesn't care, he doesnt care at all because that one gesture, that one little gesture had torn down the final wall he had built up.

The wall that held back every single thing Keith had ever felt about Shiro.

"Keith, I'm in love with you."

Keith tears Shiro's hand away from his face, launching himself at Shiro. He wraps his arms around Shiro's neck, giving him the tightest hug he can manage. Shiro, having been nearly knocked down, laughs, and wraps his own arms around Keith.

"Shiro."

Keith's voice is very soft, Shiro notices.

"Yeah?"

"If my mom ever finds out about this, I'm gonna die of embarrassment."

"I promise Krolia won't find out."

-

She does, and the dinner that quickly follows between Shiro, Keith, and her is one of the most awkward, embarrassing Keith has ever had.


End file.
